


The Mission

by Marvelous34



Category: The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)
Genre: Angst, Death, Drinking, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Past Murder, Romance, Scar, Scar Wound, Sexual Frustration, Sexual Tension, Smoking, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-11 01:04:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20145001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marvelous34/pseuds/Marvelous34
Summary: Ari Levinson tries to recruit you for Operation Brothers.  While you weren’t ready for any kind of mission, you obliged after much consideration.  You didn’t plan on falling in love along the way.  But will Ari return those feelings? Or will his heart only be on the mission?





	1. Chapter 1

Taking the piece of thick paper with your name on it, you placed it into the time clock, waiting for it to stamp the time. As the stamp was made, you pulled your card out and placed it with the rest; it was time for another day at the diner. 

Six months you had been here and you actually quite enjoyed the small diner in the heart of Jerusalem; it was where you had grown up. 

Both of your parents were Jewish America and after they got married, decided to move to Jerusalem where they both got jobs working at the American Embassy. Without a doubt, you loved growing up here; it’s where you felt like you belonged, with all your ancestors and so much history about your religion. 

“Table nine,” Denise, your co-worker said to you as she rushed by you with a tray of food. Giving her a smile, you nodded and headed towards the table. Upon walking up, the man’s back was facing you but he had luscious brown locks nearly down to his neck and you already found it a turn on. It had been too long since you’d had a man between your legs and you already were fantasizing about running your fingers through his thick locks. 

“Good morning,” you greeted the man with a smile and a chipper voice; your eyes never leaving your small workbook to take orders. “What can I get you?” 

There was silence and that’s when you decided to look from your workbook to gaze into the eyes of the man in front of you. He nearly took your breath away as you were mesmerized by the baby blue of his orbs; but it was nothing compared to his dazzling white smile; his smiled coated by a trimmed yet thick beard. Now you were fantasizing even more; wanting to know what that beard would feel like between your legs. Get a grip on yourself Y/N you mentally spoke to yourself. 

“Hello Y/N,” came his smooth velvety voice. “You’re a hard person to track down, even for being here in the heart of Jerusalem.” 

You had to do a double take, wonder what he was talking about. With furrowed brows, you answered back, “I’m-I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

Raising his right arm, his fingers brushed through his long smooth hair. “Not personally. But I know a lot about you.” Your heart skipped a beat, thoughts of your past coming back to you. “I work with Ethan Levin with the Mossad. I’m putting together a small team and he’s talked highly of you, saying you would be a great fit for this mission.”

Placing a hand on the table, you had to catch your breath. You had known Ethan for years, ever since you were eighteen. He had tried to recruit you for the Mossad for the longest time and you finally gave in. After joining the Peace Corps when you were 18, you took a bit of a break and worked for Ethan doing some undercover work before heading back to the Peace Corps. 

“Are you alright?” the man stood up, placing a hand on your shoulder as you steadied your breathing. 

“Umm, yeah, I’ll be ok,” you muttered out, moving to sit in the seat opposite of him. He sat back down, yet still had a worried look to his face. 

His hand came up to scratch at his beard before placing his cup of water in front of you. “Here, have some water.” Gripping the water glass with shaky hands, you took a few deep sips. The water felt divine on your now parched throat, memories of Deborah and your time in the Peace Corps coming back to you. “Better?” You nodded, placing the glass back onto the table. “So this mission…,” he began to start again but you cut him off. 

“I’m not interested.” Glancing upwards, you saw the defeat in his eyes at your words. 

He sighed deeply, playing with the edge of the menu on the table. “I haven’t even told you what it’s about.”

Chewing nervously on your lip, your mind began to race. This man, whom you didn’t even know but apparently knew a lot about you, wanted you to join a secret mission and you had already flat out refused. It was your past that was haunting you, keeping you at bay. “I just-I just don’t think I’m ready for any kind of mission yet,” you spoke truthfully. “Has Ethan told you about what happened? What I’ve endured?”

He blew out a breath and you could see his jaw clenching. “Not any details. He just said you would probably deny my invitation and that you’ve had a rough past year in the Peace   
Corps.”

You nodded, eyes gazing down at the table as you kept your tears at bay. “Look,” you spoke, turning to face him with glossy eyes, “I’m sure your mission is important and all. But I honestly don’t think I’m ready to jump into anything drastic quite yet. I’m really sorry.”

His face softened as he took in your expression, nodding. “Hey, I get it. Things get rough out there. I don’t blame you. But if you want,” he paused, grabbing his wallet and taking out card, placing it down on the table, “give Ethan a call. He’ll tell you all about the mission. I’m heading out in a week and if you change your mind, Ethan will help you with the travel.” He stood up from the booth and you didn’t dare make eye contact with him; afraid that you would lose your willpower and break down. “Thank you for your time Y/N.” He placed a ten dollar bill on the table and you lifted your eyes, only to see him walk away.

That day at work, it felt like the card he had given you was burning a hole in your pocket. Every free chance you got, you debated with yourself on whether you should go to Ethan and talk to him about this mission. But you were at a loss; the tug of war happening in your mind not making it any easier. 

By the time you got off work, you decided to sleep on the decision. You had tomorrow off work and you would decide by morning if you were going to call up Ethan and meet up with him or not. 

As you lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling and gripping the thick paper card in your hand, your mind and heart battled with one another. Your mind told you that you just weren’t ready for any kind of mission, but your heart was telling you that you could possibly be saving and helping lives. 

Closing your eyes, you wished for sleep to come, but all you could hear were the rippling screams of your best friend Deborah. You had met her during your training for the Peace Corps; the two of you bonding instantly. Neither of you were stationed together at first. You had spent your first few years in the Peace Corps in Seirra Leone, teaching children   
English and other languages. That was your specialty, multilingual, among other things. Then you went to work for Ethan with the Mossad for nearly three years. Once you   
decided to go back to the Peace Corps, you found yourself stationed in Tonga, along with Deborah. The first two years there were amazing, but the happiness of being with your   
new best friend didn’t last forever. She was murdered in cold blood, a few houses down from yours. It had only been a year, but you still couldn’t get her screams out of your   
head. 

No matter how hard you tried, sleep never came that night and you were up and ready to go at dawn. With a trembling hand, you picked up the phone and dialed the number on the card, hoping he was already in the office. 

“Hello?” a voice sounded from the other end of the line. 

Taking a deep breath, you answered back. “Ethan? It’s me, Y/N.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Ethan, it’s me, Y/N,” you said with a shaky breath. It had been quite some time since you talked to Ethan and for some reason, you were a bit nervous. 

“Ahh, Y/N, it’s good to hear from you. I honestly didn’t think you would call so soon. I figured it would have taken a week or two. Ari must have worked some sort of charm on you.”

A chuckle escaped past your lips before realization sunk in. “Wait. Ari? As in Ari Levinson?”

This time Ethan chuckled from his end. “Of course Ari Levinson. Who else would it be?”

Your mind danced as you had an epiphany. It was Ari at the diner yesterday recruiting you for a mission. He had looked so familiar to you, but you just couldn’t connect the dots. Naturally you had never worked with Ari while working for the Mossad, but he was well known that was for sure. You had heard all about him and all the missions he had been on   
to save as many lives as possible. He was not only determined and utterly dedicated to his job, he was also quick on his feet; able to get out of sticky situations. 

“He-he never told me his name, although he did look familiar to me.” True, you had never met Ari, but you had seen pictures and heard a lot of stories. 

“Why don’t you come into the office this morning and we can have a chat,” Ethan remarked. 

“Sure, that sounds great Ethan. I’ll be there in an hour.”

After hanging up the phone, you showered and got dressed in record time. You were wearing an all jean jumpsuit with a thick belt around the middle; large framed sunglasses to shield your eyes from the bright sun. 

Grabbing a taxi, you began to nervously bounce your leg; your hands gripping together as you felt the sweat begin to form on the back of your neck. Were you really ready to do this? Hell, you didn’t even know what the mission was about and you were already beginning to worry. Deep down, you knew it wasn’t about the mission itself however. No, it was much more than that. A year it had been since Deborah had been murdered, and you didn’t know if you had the willpower or the mentality to throw yourself into something that needed your full undivided attention; you still weren’t over her death. 

“Y/N, it’s so good to see you again,” Ethan greeted you at his office door with open arms. Smiling, you walked forward and were engulfed in his arms. From the moment you had first met Ethan, you felt safe around him; he was like a father figure to you. “Come, let’s have a chat.”

The two of you quickly began falling into an easy conversation about how things have been since last seeing one another. Naturally you shed a few tears when Ethan asked how you were coping with what happened to Deborah and he consoled you with tender arms. 

“Now, the mission,” Ethan begun and you gave him a slight nod. “What do you know about what is happening in Ethiopia?”

You let out a shaky breath, closing your eyes as pictures of bloodied and dead Ethiopian Jews flooded your mind. “They-they are being tortured and killed by the government.   
Practically another genocide but not many people seem to care because it’s happening in Africa.”

Ethan nodded, knowing this specific mission would touch your heart because you too were Jewish. More tears sprung your eyes as anger began to boil deep in your veins over   
what was happening to them. They were helpless and they were getting slaughtered. 

“That’s what the mission is about. Ari had been working on getting as many of them safely back here as possible. He ran into some trouble and while I pulled him from that mission temporarily, he came up with a brilliant plan. There is an abandoned hotel in Sudan, right on the Red Sea and he is using the hotel as a cover to smuggle the refugees onto a Navy boat that will be disguised as an oil boat.”

You couldn’t help but listen in awe of what Ethan had just told you. This was why Ari was so well known throughout the agency. He had brilliant ideas and wanted nothing more than to save as many lives as he possibly could. 

“Wow,” you breathed out, leaning back in your chair. “That’s pretty dangerous.”

“Yes, I agree. And I’ve already broken many of my own risk rules. One of them is sending a woman to a Muslim country and if you agreed to this, I would be sending two. But I believe in you Y/N. I know this mission grows deep for you and that is why I recommended you to Ari. He has put together his own team of five people and you would be the sixth person on that mission. I do not know how long they will be there. It could be a few months, it could be many years. There are a lot of risks involved, more risks than any mission you have done before.”

“Can I take some time to think about it?”

“Of course. But please let me know your answer as soon as you decide. I need to get started on a passport and documents for you, as well as get your travel set up. They will be flying out in five days.”

You bid goodbye to Ethan, hailed another taxi and headed back to your apartment. Setting your purse down on the kitchen counter, you collapsed onto your plush couch. With your fingers at your temples, you began to slowly massage them in a clockwise circle. 

Just six months ago you started your job at the diner, putting everything behind you. Settling down, not being in the Peace Corps or doing any missions for the Mossad is not something you thought would happen; you thought you would be a lifer. But it all changed last year with Deborah. Now, you were living quietly in your quaint apartment with a nice little waitressing job. And yet again, your life changed when Ari came into the diner and wanted to recruit you for a mission. Without even knowing the mission, you didn’t want any involvement. But now after talking with Ethan, your heart was torn. The whole reason you joined the Peace Corps was because you wanted just that, peace. You didn’t want wars or famine, didn’t want people starving and dying. And now, this mission, like Ethan said, dug deeper for you because it wouldn’t only be saving thousands of lives, it would be saving thousands of Jewish lives. 

Groaning, you lay your head back on the couch, telling yourself you would sleep on the decision. Yet you knew damn well what your answer would be. 

The following morning you called up Ethan, letting him know that you would agree to be a part of this dangerous and risky mission. Not wanting to up and quit your job in case you wanted to come back to it, you told Ethan to give you an extra few days and you would just fly in by yourself. 

After getting to work, you told your boss you would be quitting, but would work the rest of your shifts that week. 

Ethan told you to get an alias and you spent your nights going over any and all details you could think of for your new alias to get you through the airport in Sudan. 

The flight wasn’t as long as you had thought and getting through customs was a bit shaky, but you emerged without any problems. Placing your luggage into the backseat of the car Ethan had rented for you, you traveled the eight hours from Khartoum to the Red Sea Diving Resort. 

Traveling all day left you exhausted and all you wanted to do was crawl into a bed and sleep. Pulling up to the resort, your heart sunk at the sight. Without a doubt, it had truly been abandoned for years. 

Opening the door of the car, you stretched your limbs; a few of them cracking from sitting for so long. 

Glancing along the length of the resort, your eyes were trained back to the main entrance where five people came out to see who was here. 

“Hi,” you said shyly, waving at the five of them. Ari was standing in front, a large grin on his face as he walked towards you. 

Before you knew it, you were wrapped up in his strong arms as he let out a guff of laughter. “Y/N! I didn’t think you’d come. But I’m so happy you are here.” He placed you down, your feet hitting the warm sand as you smiled up at him. It hadn’t been long since you last saw him, but those fantasies never left your head over the last week. And now, being near him again, those lustful feelings only intensified. 

“Let’s all go somewhere a little more private to talk,” Ari said with an air of authority to his tone. He picked up your suitcase and quickly brought it into the hotel. Then, you followed him, along with the other four and got onto a dinghy and boated away from the shore to where you could all talk in private.


	3. Chapter 3

The breeze and mist of the Red Sea felt wonderful on your hot warm skin. The man steering the boat killed the engine and everyone turned to look at you and you gave them a small smile. Glancing at Ari, he was grinning at you before he finally decided to speak. 

“Guys, this is Y/N. She came highly recommended from Ethan. Y/N, this is Rachel, Jake, Max and Sammy, my crew. Everyone has a little bit of a different background as to how they all fit into this. Sammy is a field doctor, Jake is a diving instructor, Max is a sniper and Rachel is,” he paused, lowering his head and chuckling. “Well Rachel, what is it exactly that you do?”

Rachel playfully punched Ari in the shoulder before turning to face you. “Currently I’m a flight attendant, but I’m a communications transmitter and I’ll be communicating between   
the refugee trucks and the rescue boats.”

You nodded, impressed with the crew Ari had put together. Looking back on land, you took in the resort once again. From this angle, out at sea, the resort itself looked beautiful, but deserted. There were many small white buildings lined up and down the beach. 

“So what about you? What’s your story?” someone asked. Turning around, you noticed it was Sammy who asked you the question. 

“Well, my parents are Jewish American and moved to Jerusalem to work for the American Embassy. I was born and raised there my whole life and when I turned 18, I joined the Peace Corps, much to the dismay of Ethan as he wanted me to work for him and the Mossad. After a few years in the Peace Corps, I took a break and did eventually work with Ethan. And then after another few years I went back to the Peace Corps and got out of that about a year ago.”

“And what specialties do you have that will help us here?” this time it was Max who spoke up. His eyes were narrowed and he had a hard gaze on you, but you could tell deep down, he wasn’t anyone to be intimidated by. In fact, you had a feeling he was a major softie. 

“I’m multilingual,” you answered easily. There were nods of heads from everyone in the boat, except from Ari. No, Ari had yet another large grin on his face.   
“What languages do you speak?” Ari asked. 

You snorted, shaking your head. “You name it and I most likely know it. I’ve been told I have a rather unique memory. I graduated school when I was 14 and finished college by the time I was 18. I read something once, and for some reason, I have it memorized for life. I learned about this gift when I was young and over the years, I taught myself as many languages as I could. I didn’t really have too many friends when I was younger, so it was easy for me to just sit and read books all day long.”

Glancing at Ari, he seemed a bit saddened at your last sentence, his face dropping. “Can you speak the languages from around here?” Ari asked again, although his face seemed saddened, you could tell his interest was in doubt piqued. 

You nodded, lying against the back of the boat and letting your hand trail in the warm water. “I can speak, read and write both Arabic and Amharic.”

“Damn, that’s really going to help out, especially with the Mukhabarat if they come snooping around here. But don’t let them know you can speak Arabic. If they try speaking to one another in Arabic, we can use Y/N to translate what they are saying and it could end up saving our asses,” Ari said with determination, a grateful nod in your direction making your heart flutter. You had no idea where these lustful feelings were coming from all of a sudden, but at the moment, you didn’t care. Who knows how long you would be working here for? And it didn’t hurt that Ari was absolutely gorgeous to look at for your time here.

“Yeah, that helps out a lot actually. None of us fully speak or can read the language. We just know basic words and you can definitely help out in speaking with the staff too,” Rachel said. 

“Do you have any questions Y/N?” Ari asked, looking at you with a smirk. 

“Umm, yeah I actually have just one for the moment. Why are we out here talking? Is the resort bugged or something?”

All five of them let out hearty laughs; Ari shaking his head. “No! No of course not. When we got here, we had no idea there was Sudanese staff that lived and worked here. It wasn’t something we were prepared for, so now we need to be extra careful so they don’t get any ideas of what is really going on here.”

“Makes sense,” you replied, feeling your face blush under the intense gaze of Ari. 

“Alright, let’s get back to shore and find you a room!”

Making your way back to land, you took in the beautiful surroundings of where you would be living for the next foreseeable future. Sure, you were in the desert, but the sand was warm beneath your toes, the landscape was astonishing and the sea; the sea was something you had never seen before. It was so clear and you only hoped that at one point that you could actually go diving. 

Ari gave you a quick tour of the resort before stopping in the doorway to one of the rooms. “Hmmm,” he said, carding his fingers through his trimmed beard.   
“What is it?” you asked with mild concern. 

“Umm, well it seems the only room available is in my building. All the other buildings and rooms haven’t been put together yet, and the ones that are, are taken by the others. My little hut has two bedrooms in it. But if you would feel more comfortable, we could ask Rachel if she would be willing to share her room….”

You placed your hand up, silencing him as you smiled gracefully. “It’s fine Ari. If you don’t mind me in the room next to you, I have no problems with it.”

His arm came up and pulled you into his side. “Alright then roomie. I’ll leave you to get settled and I’ll meet you back in the dining room with the others for dinner.”

“Thanks Ari, for everything.”

“Hey, I should be the one thank you. With your vast knowledge of languages, especially Arabic, I should be the one thanking you for coming here especially after you shot me down without even knowing what the mission entailed.”

You chuckled, moving your gaze to the ground as your feet shuffled. “I’m sorry about that,” you whispered softly. 

“Hey,” he spoke, but you wouldn’t meet his gaze. He placed a finger under your chin, gently lifting your head so he could look you in the eyes. “Ethan never told me any details of what you endured in the Peace Corps. But I’m here if you need someone to talk to ok?” 

Your vision grew blurry as you willed away your tears. Ari tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear and you shivered at his touch; your body instantly craving more.   
His soft eyes gazed from your eyes to your lips, making your heart skip a beat. With a soft smile, he walked out the door and left you to unpack your suitcase, and left you utterly   
breathless. 

Taking a seat on the bed, you bounced up and down and realized that the mattress itself wasn’t that bad; you’ve definitely slept on worse. Opening the few drawers of your dresser, you quickly unpacked your belongings and went back to lay on the bed. 

With your arms underneath your head, you stared up at the ceiling, hoping that everything would work out well with the mission. Your mind danced with ideas and input, but you found it increasingly difficult to pay attention to your thoughts when all you could picture was Ari. You didn’t know why, but there was something about him that you felt pulled to; drawn to. Not only was handsome in every way possible, he had a good heart and wanted to do what was best. You were always attracted to those who served to help those in need, and Ari was just that person. 

With a sigh, you sat up and decided to get ready for dinner. Now that you were in the safety of the resort, you pulled your long sleeved, loose see through shirt off; having a rusty orange tank top on underneath. It was warmer than you were used to, but you knew when night came, with the windows open, the breeze of the sea would cool off your body.   
Slipping into your sandals, you made your way to the dining room and were greeted by Ari, Max, Jake, Sammy and Rachel. 

Ari, using his foot, pushed a chair out from across from him for you to sit in. With a smile, you sat down at the table, joining in on the ‘conversation’ of how to start getting the resort ready for guests as the Sudanese staff started placing delicious food around the table.


	4. Chapter 4

That night, after dinner and some whiskey, everyone made their way back to their rooms and got ready for bed. Tomorrow you would all start planning the first smuggle.   
Ari opened the door to the hut and you followed closely by, nearly tripping over your feet. 

“Whoopsie,” you hiccupped out, perhaps a bit tipsy from those shots of whiskey you were doing with Jake. 

Ari laughed, straightening you up and you opened the curtain to your room. Unfortunately there was no door attached between the two bedrooms, but there was at least a curtain so you could change in privacy. You pulled your clothes off your warm body and dug through your drawers. Knowing it would be very hot here, you only packed loose and comfortably pajamas. Slipping the t-shirt over your head was easy, but when it came to your shorts, you were having a bit of a problem. After getting your right leg through the leg hole, you started to trip and just as you got your left leg through the opposite hole of the shorts, you fell down onto your butt. 

“Hey, are you alright in there?” Ari asked but all you could respond with was laughter. You heard the curtain open as you forced your eyes open from laughing to hard. There, you saw Ari standing in the doorway with just a pair of shorts hanging low on his hips; no shirt. His physique alone shut you up, your mouth going dry as you took in just how buff he truly was. His biceps were a lot bigger than you thought they were, and so were his thighs as you could see from his shorter shorts. Your eyes roamed up and down his body, landing on his toned stomach. All you wanted to do was run your hands through his dark chest hair; you had to clench your legs to stop the throbbing. 

“Fuck,” you whispered so quietly, you hoped he wouldn’t hear you. 

In the blink of an eye, Ari was crouched down in front of you. “Are you hurt?” the concern evident in his voice and in his eyes. 

“I’m-I’m fine Ari. Really. Just slipped on the tile while getting dressed is all.” He held out his hand, helping you stand up but with more force than you were expecting. Your hands landed on his chest, stopping you from tumbling forward and into him. “Sorry,” you muttered, taking your hands off of him much to your dismay. His chest was hard and felt amazing under your hands. 

“It’s ok Y/N. I don’t mind,” there was a slight tease to his voice and you whipped our head up, meeting his eyes with yours. He winked before speaking, “You must be a lightweight when it comes to drinking.”

Nodding, you agreed. “I am. I don’t drink that often and tonight I’m going to blame Jake since he’s the one that brought out the whiskey.”

Ari laughed, agreeing with you. He placed his arms around you, giving you a hug and you could have sworn in your tipsy state that you felt his lips brush up against the tip of   
your head. “Goodnight Y/N.”

“Night Ari.”

Dropping down onto your bed, you let out a deep sigh. Well, one thing was for sure; Ari was definitely a flirt but you didn’t mind one bit. Thinking back, it had been so long since you being with a man. In fact, it was in Tonga where met your ex-boyfriend. He was also a volunteer with the Peace Corps and you fell in love with his warm and kind heart. But   
once you moved back home, you broke it off with him as you didn’t want to deal with a long distance relationship and you couldn’t mentally or emotionally handle a relationship at the moment. But now, you lay there at night, all alone and what you wouldn’t give to have someone next to you to cuddle with. 

Exhaustion took over and you closed your eyes, finally happy to get some sleep; but again, your happiness didn’t last long. It had been months since the nightmares stopped, but tonight, they came on full force. 

“Y/N!” you heard someone calling your name, hands on your body shaking you awake. “Y/N, wake up!”

Your eyes opened and you jolted upright, startled. With your eyes darting around the room, you began to panic as your heart raced inside your chest. Placing a hand on your chest and your head on your knees, you tried to take deep breaths, but it wasn’t working. 

“Hey, sshhh, it’s alright,” Ari softly spoke as he placed a hand at your back. “Just breathe.” His calming voice and soothing hand helped you regulate your breathing. Finally being able to breathe regularly, you took a deep breath through your nose as you lay back in bed. Placing your hands over your face in mortification of having Ari see you like this, you cursed, “Fuck!”

Months, it had been months! Ever since you moved into your apartment in Jerusalem, that’s when the nightmares had stopped. You were finally in your own place, surrounded by your own belongings to help comfort you. But now, you were somewhere you had never been, surrounded by people you had just met. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ari asked as he placed a on your wrist, trying to pry your hands from your face. 

“I can’t. Not right now,” came your muffled reply. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t keep your tears at bay. You lay there crying as Ari did what he could to comfort you; rubbing his hand up and down your arm. It was comforting you, just him being there with you in that moment. 

When your tears subsided, you felt the bed jostle and you pulled your hands from your face to see Ari walking back to his room. 

“Wait,” you cried out as you shot up in bed, not wanting him to leave. “Will you stay with me tonight?” You completely understood if he wouldn’t; hell, you had just met the man a little over a week ago and today was the first day you had actually spent any time with him. But there was a comforting quality to him that you were pulled to and you felt as if you   
would sleep better with him by your side. 

He paused in the doorway, not turning around to face you. Your heart slowly began to beat faster with each breath as you waited. Ari marched forward, walking into his room and you dropped back down onto the bed, feeling defeated that you wouldn’t get any sleep that night. 

Only mere seconds passed as Ari came back into your room; his own pillow in his hand. Moving over on the bed to give him room, he lifted the covers and lay down next to you.   
“Thank you,” you whispered softly, sniffling back from the few stray tears that dropped from your eyes. 

Ari’s arm outstretched and went behind your back, pulling you closer to him. Rolling onto your side, you snuggled into his warmth. He grasped your hand and placed it on his chest; your body finally beginning to relax. 

“You don’t need to thank me Y/N. We leave no one behind. And not just physically. If someone on my crew is having a hard time, I’m going to see what I can do what I can to fix that.”

You didn’t trust your voice to speak so you only nodded your head before relaxing it on his chest. Closing your eyes, you let the steady beating of his heart lull you back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Waking up the next morning, you stretched your limbs, moaning in appreciation at how good it felt to stretch your muscles. It took you a few seconds to realize where you were as you took a quick look around the room. Reality set in when you saw the spot next to you on the bed was empty. Placing your hand on the spot where Ari had slept, you noticed it was still warm so he must not have left too long ago. 

Making your way into the bathroom, you did your morning duties along with brushing your teeth and hair. You were too exhausted last night and knowing you would be getting hot from the sun today, you decided on waiting to shower until later tonight before bed. Splashing some cold water on your face, you dried your hands off and walked out of your room, only to see Ari’s bedroom empty as well. 

The sun was high in the sky and so you pulled your sunglasses over your sensitive eyes. They were also red and puffy from crying last night and you didn’t want anyone to ask what happened. Looking down, you made sure your Star of David tattoo on your right wrist was covered by bracelets as you headed towards the main house of the resort.   
“Morning,” Rachel greeted you with a smile as you sat down on one of the empty chairs of the dining table. It was truly a beautiful sight as you stared straight out into the sea as   
the walls had large open doorways. 

“Good morning,” you returned her smile before looking at the food on the table. “Wow, this smells delicious.” Your mouth practically began to salivate at how good it all smelled; your stomach beginning to grumble. 

“Chef Aziz is the best chef around,” Ari said as he pulled out a chair next to you and sat down. You blushed as his arm brushed up against yours. 

The six of you sat around the table enjoying breakfast and making small conversation. As much as you wanted to talk about the mission and hear stories from them, it wasn’t a good idea in front of the staff. 

“So what’s on the agenda for today?” you spoke up, taking a sip of ice cold water. 

Ari pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up. He blew out a puff of smoke before turning to you. “We are going to head into the water and find some dive spots.”

Shrugging, you gave a subtle nod. “Sounds like a good plan.” His blue orbs lingered on your face; you could feel his eyes on you. Turning your head slightly, you met his gaze.   
Your heart began to flutter as you took in his face; luckily you were wearing sunglasses so he couldn’t see you ogling his perfect features. As your eyes scanned his face, you began to pick out smaller details. His bottom lip was a bit more plump than his top whereas his top lip was almost hidden from his beard. His neck was scattered with a few moles and his skin had a sun glowed tan to it. He was utterly remarkable to look at. 

Ari’s arm left arm was hanging off the back of the chair and you didn’t miss the slight movement of it. He lifted his arm somewhat and his fingers brushed against the back of your arm sending tingles throughout your body from his touch. 

After breakfast, you all made your way to the beach and, wanting to keep up the show, grabbed the diving gear and wetsuits. 

You were wearing a sarong around your waist and a tank top over your bikini. Pulling your top off, you heard Rachel gasp. Looking up, you saw her rush towards you, her eyes glued to the large scar on the side of your abdomen. 

“What the fuck happened to you?” she asked as her fingers danced lightly over the scar. 

Your eyes scanned around the four men in front of you and you could see the worry etched across his face. “I umm, I brought a gun to a knife show,” you joked, not wanting to open the wound of your heart and tell your story just yet. It wasn’t technically a lie, it had been a knife that you were stabbed with. “So, are we ready to go?” you asked, trying to break the tension in the group. It seemed to work as everyone scattered around, getting into their wet suits and loading up the diving gear; everyone except for Ari. 

He gripped your arm gently, pulling you off to the side. Lifting his sun glasses, he crouched down in front of you to inspect the scar up close. Chewing on your lip nervously, your feet shuffled around causing you to move. Ari placed one hand on your hip, stilling you and you felt your knees grow weak from his hand so close to where you truly wanted it to be. 

Ari stood back up, putting his sunglasses back on and crossed his arms over his brute chest. “Are you ever going to tell me what happened to you?”

You frowned, down casting your gaze as your bare toes dug into the warm sand beneath you. “Umm,” you began to say but he cut in. 

With the tip of his finger, lifting your gaze to meet his, he smiled. “Hey, I don’t want you to feel obligated to tell me. It’s just that I’m the leader here and I know all these guys like the back of my hand. But you, I’ve just heard things from Ethan. I would like to get to know who you really are while we are here. We could be here for years, which is what   
I’m hoping because then that would mean this mission will be successful. I’d just like to get to know you Y/N. But if you don’t ever want to tell me, I won’t hold that against you.   
I promise.”

Keeping your chin from quivering at his words, you mustered up the best smile you could for him. “Thank you Ari, I appreciate it. I’m hoping that during our time here I can open up and let you know what happened.” It was the truth; you really did want to open up to him. There was something about him that made you felt comforted, secure in his presence and you knew you could trust him. 

Out on the water, Jake stopped the motor of the dinghy and you all got down to business on how to prepare for the first smuggle. 

“Friday’s holy to Muslims, so we’ll have less military on the street,” Ari spoke with confidence. “We need a dark night, darkest Friday of the month.”

“When is that?” Max asked. 

“In two weeks,” Rachel responded. 

Ari nodded, looking around at everyone. “Two weeks. Two weeks it is, then. Kabede’s going to get two trucks from the locals, something inconspicuous that we can park out front of the hotel.”

“We should do a dry run,” Sammy announced. “Familiarize ourselves with the terrain.”

“Jake we gotta make sure the Navy’s on time,” Ari stated, not even listening to Sammy. You looked over to see Sammy shaking his head and you couldn’t help but feel there was maybe a little animosity between the two men. 

“What if they can’t be on time?”

“I don’t care. Tell them they don’t have a choice,” Ari responded, pointing firmly to the ground and that’s when you saw his leadership really emerge. 

Sammy sighed next to you. “I said, we should do a dry run.”

Again, Ari ignored him. “Max, you and Rachel go with Kabede to get the trucks.”

Sammy laughed, shaking his head again. “I guess we’re not doing a dry run.”

“They’re dying, Sammy! They’re sick and they’re starving. And we’re not going to sit here and enjoy Aziz’s fucking cooking, and working on our suntan while they’re out there suffering, not if we can do something about it.” 

It was quiet in the boat after that, quiet and tense.


	6. Chapter 6

Over the course of the last two weeks, everyone worked tirelessly around the clock to get ready for the first mission to smuggle the Jewish refugees out of Sudan. Ari made frequent trips to visit Kabede and check up on the refugees. Wanting to go with him to meet Kabede, Ari refused; it was way too dangerous for you, because you were a woman. As much as you protested, he wasn’t budging from his decision; but deep down you understood. It was very risky for you and Rachel to be here. 

The day of the first rescue mission, Ari and Jake were fixing up the trucks getting ready to go. You stood by Ari, handing him the tools he needed. Once Jake got the CB radio working, he was connected with the Navy ship. 

“They’re on,” Jake announced from inside one of the trucks. 

“Good,” Ari responded, jumping off the side of his truck he was working on. He looked down at his watch, checking the time. “Leaving here in 12 minutes.”

You and Ari made your way back into the hotel where Rachel was standing in front of the staff. 

“What did you tell them?” Ari asked coming up behind her. 

“That we are diving scouting spots and wouldn’t be back until the morning.”

“Good.” The three of you were about to get ready for the mission, but there was what sounded like a very big vehicle coming towards the resort. 

Heading outside, you all saw the large bus pulling in from down the road. 

Ari turned to Max. “Up on the roof. Grab the spear gun.” Max walked away, piling his sandwich into his mouth as you stood behind Ari. From what you had gathered, the five of   
them have had some sort of combat training, but you didn’t. You would be utterly screwed if any kind of fight broke out. 

The bus stopped right in front of the entrance and a bigger man came out of the bus, holding a clipboard with papers. 

“This was not an easy place to find. You should think about getting some better signage,” he said with a chuckle, dusting the sweat off his face with the back of his hand. “It’s so hot in there, but with the windows open, all the dust flies in.” He had a German accent and Rachel moved forward. 

She was speaking German, but you understood each work precisely. “I’m not sure what you are looking for but I’m pretty sure this isn’t it.”

“Isn’t this the Red Sea Diving Resort?” the man asked, looking up at the sign on the front of the resort. 

“Well yes, but you see we are still under construction and won’t be open for a long time,” she replied. 

“That’s not what the brochure said,” the man handed over a brightly colored brochure and Rachel glanced at it before handing it over to Ari. Peaking over his shoulder, you could see why tourists would actually want to come here; the brochure really caught your eyes. 

The German man waved everyone off the bus and you retreated back into the hotel and into the room behind the front desk, knowing Ari and the rest of them would be joining you quickly. 

You paced around the small room, trying to come up with a plan. 

“We have to check them in,” Ari stated as he marched into the room; everyone following behind him. 

“No, I think we should send them in the direction of a real hotel,” Sammy pipped up. 

“Look, they were sent here by Colonel Madibbo and if they tell him what’s going on, our whole cover story could be blown.” Ari looked at his watch. “Fuck, we’re already an hour   
late.”

You stood up from the chair you were sitting on, ready to finally step in and do some sort of help since you hadn’t been able to help much yet. “Let me check them in,” you stated confidently. Ari looked to you, his brows raised. “Seriously. You guys get in the trucks and go get the refugees. And Rachel, you can head back to your room and get started on the communications aspect. I’ll man the front desk and the staff and get everyone situated into their rooms. Tomorrow, when the first operation is successfully over, we will begin running a fully operated resort.”

A slow smile crept up on Ari’s face, making your heart skip a beat. He took two long strides over to you and picked you up into his arms; his hugs were the best. “You are amazing!” he beamed, placing a kiss to your forehead. 

The four men headed out and Rachel went to her room to get her technology ready. Taking a deep breath, you put forth a smile and walked out into the lobby; standing behind the desk. 

“How many rooms will you need?” you asked with a smile, folding your hands in front of you on the desk. 

It took almost an hour, but all of the tourists were booked into rooms and resting before dinner. You went around, thanking all the staff, in Arabic, for their quick efforts of   
getting rooms in order for the guests. They told you they were just happy to have the resort open and running again as it gave them a job and something to do. You remembered Ari telling you at one point that when he leased out the hotel, he gave Colonel Madibbo an extra $100,000 for the residents of Sudan, but he made sure to tell Ari that it wouldn’t go towards paying the staff. You made a mental note to ask Ari, since now there were actual paying tourists, to use some of that money to properly pay the staff at the hotel; they truly deserved it for all their hard work. 

Watching over Chef Aziz, you praised his cooking skills. As he served the guests dinner, you snuck off into Rachel’s room. 

Knocking quietly on her door, you opened it before sneaking in quickly. Her room was more homey than yours as she had placed some personal touches here and there. There were photographs and small nicknacks placed around, which was something you wanted to do with your room now. Maybe it would help you sleep a bit better at night. 

“How’s everything going?” you asked quietly. 

“I-I don’t know right now. Ari called for radio silence a few minutes ago and I haven’t heard anything yet from him.”

Your heart sunk, dropping to the pit of your stomach as you held onto the edge of the bed for support. No, this couldn’t be happening. The first operation couldn’t be a fail. As much as you loved your quiet life back home, Rachel, Jake, Max and Sammy, along with the staff were starting to really grow on you; let alone Aria. The two of you had spent a lot of time together over the last two weeks preparing for the first operation. And you couldn’t deny the fact that your feelings had grown for him too. 

Rachel sunk to her knees, head in her hands as Base kept asking repeatedly if Yacht One would copy. Your knees gave out on you as you sunk to the floor beside her. 

“Yacht one to base, we copy,” Ari’s voice came over the radio and you blew out the breath you didn’t realizing you were holding. 

You grabbed a hold of Rachel’s hand, squeezing gently as she gave you a comforting smile. Now there was nothing to do but wait to hear back from them; to see if the operation was successful. 

During the entire waiting period, you held onto Rachel’s hand. Over the last two weeks, she became like a sister to you, which was soothing as you had always wanted a sibling.   
“Base is on the way home, with the entire cargo. See you in a few days,” a voice said over the radio and you had to control yourself from screaming in happiness. Both you and Rachel shot up to your feet, hugging each other before jumping up and down with joy; hands in the air. 

The two of you waited in the confines of Rachel’s room for the men to return back. It didn’t take too much longer, as they were only a few miles down the coastline from where   
the resort was. 

There was a knock on the door and Rachel went to open in. Standing on the other side was Ari, Sammy, Max and Jake; all with bright smiles. Rachel hugged Ari first before he came into the room. The minute his eyes landed on yours, you burst into tears of delight knowing the operation was a success. He made the few strides with his long legs to reach you, pulling you into a tight embrace as you sobbed into his chest. 

“174 people we saved tonight,” Ari whispered into your ear.

“That’s amazing Ari. I want to help save them all. They don’t deserve the war and famine they are going through, nobody does.” 

You couldn’t help but to place your right hand on his head, your fingers weaving through his locks and scratching at his scalp, earning a low growl from him which turned you on like nothing had ever before.

“Now we can really celebrate!” Jake roared, causing Ari to pull away from you, but his hands stayed on you, placed at your hips. 

Looking up into Ari’s eyes, you smiled as his hand came up to wipe away your tears with his thumb. “C’mon, let’s go get a drink and celebrate the success of the night.”


	7. Chapter 7

The moon was high in the sky as the string lights were lit up across the entire expanse of the resort. Some of the guests were still sitting by the fire, enjoying the ever flowing alcohol. Again, Jake had brought out the whiskey and you downed a few shots. Your body was feeling heavy, but your head light as the alcohol made its way through your veins.   
At one point, Ari took your hand in his. “C’mon, let’s go for a walk.”

The two of you walked down the shore, away from the fire before he stopped. His hand still in yours, he sat down on the sandy beach, pulling you along with him; next to him, sat two bottles of beers. He passed one to you and you graciously accepted it. Popping off the top, you took a swig, letting the cold liquid coat your throat. 

It was quiet between you two, but not an awkward kind of silence. You enjoyed the breeze coming off the sea, closing your eyes and smelling the sweet smell of the sea.   
From beside you, you felt Ari’s gaze and you turned to face him. His eyes were lit up from the bright moon and they gazed down to your lips before coming up to meet your eyes. He smiled, giving a chuckle before returning to his beer. 

“Did I ever tell you my mother was on The Exodus?” he asked. You only shook you head as he began to tell you the story. His father was taken and so she boarded The Exodus with other survivors with nothing but the clothes on her back, along with a 4 year old Ari. When they reached the promised land, the Brits turned them away, but a young British officer felt sorry for her and decided to take in Ari. 

“She gave me up,” he said, his head hanging low. 

Reaching up, you placed your hand on his arm. “No Ari. She saved you.” He gave you a smile at your words. 

He went on to say that the British officer fell in love with an American volunteer and that the three of them moved to New York when he was seven years old. He moved back to Israel the day he turned 18. 

His story moved you and with the liquid courage you had coursing through your veins, you decided it was time to tell him your story. 

Taking a deep breath, you began. “I was 18 when I joined the Peace Corps. I knew from a young age that I wanted to join. I just wanted peace for everyone. I met Deborah during training and we quickly became friends. I had never met anyone like her throughout my life. She gave off such great energy and was always positive. Much to our pleading, we were not stationed together. But we still kept in touch. After a few years, I decided to take a break, but I wanted to do something useful with my life instead of working a 9-5 office job. So I called up Ethan and I joined the Mossad. I worked for Ethan for a few years before I found out that I would be stationed with Deborah if I came back to the Peace Corps. Naturally, that’s what I wanted to do. I had missed her so much.” 

You took a sip of beer before continuing with the story. “While we were there, she met another volunteer. His name was Dennis. I knew from the moment I met him there was something off about him and I told Deborah. But Dennis, he was infatuated with her. He had asked her to dinner and she agreed, but told him she only wanted to remain friends. He had tried to give her an expensive gift, but Deborah refused it as she had become increasingly uncomfortable around him. He continued to pursue her, but she kept rejected his advances. I even told her to transfer to another location, just to be away from him, but she was denied. Dennis was coming up on his two years and while he tried his best to continue his stay, he too was rejected. There was a going away party for him and we all got drunk. Another male friend of ours escorted us home. I lived two houses down from her.”

Your voice grew dry from speaking and you sipped on your beer. Just thinking about the next part, your chin began to quiver and you sniffled as the tears began to flow. Ari placed an arm around you, pulling you into his side. “Two weeks later, I had gone to bed earlier, tired from the day. But I woke to her screaming. It was so loud, as if she was in the room with me. I jolted from my bed, not even caring to put on shoes and raced to her house. I found Dennis trying to drag Deborah from her house. I ran as fast as I could and when I got to them, I began furiously hitting him.” You pulled up your shirt, showing off your scar. “That’s how I got this. He took his bloodied knife and stabbed me. He just missed my stomach. He fled on his bicycle as I cradled Deborah’s head in my lap. A neighbor ended up calling the police, but it was too late. She died in my arms, from 22 stab wounds.” 

“Fuck,” Ari said as he held you closer to him. Both your arms encircled his waist, holding on for dear life as you sobbed. You were overwhelmed with sadness and grief as it had been nearly a year since you told anyone the story. “Is that why you left the Peace Corps?”

You nodded into his chest as he held you tightly to him; you never wanted to leave his arms ever again as you felt so safe and secure. 

Once your tears subsided, you pulled away, drinking the last of your beer. Placing the bottle in the sand next to you, you turned to him. “I’m sorry for spilling my mess on you.”

“Hey,” he said, his hands coming up as his thumbs wiped your tears away for the second time that night. “Don’t apologize. I was the one who asked for your story weeks ago.   
You have nothing to apologize for. You have been through so much in your life and as far as I can tell, you are such a strong woman for going through what you’ve gone through.”

Closing your eyes, you gave him a subtle nod. It was the same thing your parents told you. 

Taking deep breaths through your nose, you opened your eyes only to be met by his ocean blue orbs. Your breath caught in your throat as he eyed your lips; his hands still   
grasping your cheeks. He leaned forward and you closed your eyes, waiting to meet his lips. 

His lips brushed delicately against yours and took everything in you to not moan from the touch. His calloused hands somehow felt soft against your cheeks as his lips moved in synch with yours. Using his hands, he tilted your head to deepen the kiss, now causing you to moan into his mouth. Even with the rough sun and climate, his lips were smooth against yours as you felt his tongue trace along your lower lip. Knowing what he wanted, you parted your lips for him, only to have his tongue invade your mouth. Sparks ignited within you as you clutched his chest helplessly, pulling him closer to you. The taste of whiskey and beer mixed together as he kissed you with passion, taking your breath away. Your right hand left his chest, only to grip at his long locks, which earned you a low growl. Goosebumps broke out against your warm skin and you craved more, but you, along with Ari, were breathless. 

He pulled away but still kept his hands on your face. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest as his gaze fell upon you. You wanted more, you craved all of him, mind body and soul, but you were uncertain if he felt the same way as you did.


End file.
